This was my 4th Carnival cruise and my 1st post COVID. Lots has changed, and not for the better. From the long lines for everything, Carnival pushing more and more self service to cell phones and the hub app to the general state of disrepair on the ship I will not be cruising with Carnival again. I spent the last 2 days watching the Discovery channel in my cabin to get away from all the lines. I didn't spend $4000+ to sit in lines all day. If I wanted that I would have gone to Disney World.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Carnival's communication regarding where to arrive was lacking. Flew in and planned to get a Lyft to the port. Instructions in the email from Carnival instead said to go to the Cedar Grove parking lot and take the free shuttle. Great, except I stood in line for 40 minutes in the hot sun and humidity waiting in line to check my bags with the porters and get on the bus. After arriving at the port I found out I could have gone straight there since I didn't have a car or need parking.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
1 out of 5
Long lines for everything! 15-20 mins for the lido buffet, the food is not worth the time in line. Pizza line was always worse. Lines for guys burgers were always long and slow moving.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Ropes course was almost always closed. Water slides, when open, always had huge lines. Surprisingly, the 18+ comedy shows were always easy to get into without having much of a wait.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
Unless your idea of entertainment is waiting in a line, there was nothing to write home about. One of the musicians was always singing off key.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Room steward was good, all other staff seemed like they didn't want to be there and could care less.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Ship was clean, but seemed to be in a general state of disrepair. Many areas roped off (many in the lido deck eating area) due to water leaks that were never fixed during the entirety of the cruise. Deck 5 forward was roped off for crew only so couldn't walk all the way around.
Got off fast, but had to wait for 4 elevators before finally got one we could fit with our bags. We were on deck 12 so this shouldn't have been an issue. People on lower decks were jumping on and just riding up and then back down to get off the ship.
30+ cruises with Carnival. Magic is one of my favorite ships sailed her several times.
I NEVER SAIL IN THE SUMMER ‼️‼️
Too many kids and long lines.
Have been on 2 other cruise lines and the bigger the ship the longer the lines.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy your vacation.
Norfolk is expanding the port and making adjustments to make the boarding experience better. It was truly a mess going to the parking lot to get dropped off. I enjoyed the cruise that left July 8th. Yes there were lines and lido and the deck above it were crowded but still had an awesome time. Agree that lines at Mongolian and Guys were super busy so I didn’t eat there
I hope your next cruise or vacation experience will be more enjoyable for you. We have only been on 10 cruises but have enjoyed them all very much. We enjoyed our May 2022 cruise on the Magic so much that we booked the same cruise on the Magic for May 2023 and enjoyed it just as much.
Thank you for taking the time to share your review.
😎🛳️☀️🩴🏝🪸🐠🌺🙏🏻
Ships are always full now so there will be lines.
Sailed on the magic twice since the restart. Had a great time twice.
You must have had a great cabin for $4,000. We never paid that much for a suite.
I was on Magic last May toooo many ppl true.but .. nice looking ship..didnt care for layout..everything else was okay..Sorry for the Norfolk debacle..I amtrak in ..stayed in hotel lyft to port.
Carnival must have thought you were driving idk.
Don't give up ..change ports smaller ships..
$4K to sit inside? Can't blame Carnival for that 🤷🏾♂️. I understand your frustration BUT it is the summer. I'll be on the Mardi Gras next month and that holds way more than the Magic but I'm prepared for the long lines.
I can understand the frustration of miscommunications, long slow lines, and having to deal with a lot of people. The trick is, expect the snafus to occasionally happen, realize that all of these other people are also having to stand in line, and that everyone else is also trying to have an amazing vacation. Otherwise, you’re on a cruise ship with a drink in your hand, with nothing to worry about except those issues you mentioned. 🤷♂️👍 That mentality is what separates the platinum cards from the red cards, my friend.
there's lines on EVERY ship with EVERY line. are you serious? plus it's summer... kids are out of school.... yeah, it's going to be busy. all cruise lines have basically went electronic for their activities schedule
There have always been lines on every cruiseship! This is not new post covid! The only time we have not experienced lines was when we were still cruising during covid as soon as they opened back up!
I hate you didn’t enjoy your cruise. Apps on phones are new norm for basically all major cruise lines. For sanitary purposes, the ability to update throughout the day and to eliminate general waste, the switch to phones was necessary. I personally don’t care to have my phone on me at all times while cruising, but I get it. Lines are a given on any cruise, but I have never waited in 20 minute line for food with maybe the exception of the omelet bar or hot sandwich, and with either of those I could have chosen a different food, but I chose to wait for that specific item. It seems as though the wait in lines kinda spoiled your entire outlook so everything was scrutinized that much more. If you choose to cruise again, I hope your next is better.
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